Ryan, a left-hander who turns 30 next month, is getting the largest deal given to a reliever, topping the $39.99 million, four-year contract Mariano Rivera had with the New York Yankees from 2001-04. Rivera just completed the first season of a $21 million, two-year deal with the Yankees.
If this contract is for real then it is a disaster for baseball. This pushes up the market for both Billy Wagner and Trevor Hoffman. I'm even more concerned that Hoffman won't be coming back to the Padres. If a new closer with one good year is getting this kind of contract then what does a Hall of Famer and one of the nastiest closers over the last 7 years deserve?
Posted by Tim at November 25, 2005 10:16 PM
